Lebanese Stuffed Zucchini With Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup Uncooked Egyptian rice
- ½ pound Ground beef
- 4 tbsps Olive oil, divided
- 1½ tsps Salt
- 2 tbsps Lebanese seven-spice seasoning
- 5 pounds Zucchini, washed, dried, stemmed, and cored
- 3 cloves Garlic, peeled and crushed
- 4 cups Plain yogurt
- 2 tbsps Cornstarch
- ⅓ cup Water
- 2 tbsps Dried mint
Instructions
- In a bowl, rinse the rice with cold water and mix it with your hands to remove the excess starch as you can. Leave the rice in the water for 10 minutes, then drain it.
- To make the filling, in another bowl, mix very well the rice, meat, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, salt, and seven-spice seasoning.
- With your finger, stuff each zucchini with the meat-rice filling, leaving about ½ inch of space at the top. It is important not to overstuff the zucchini because the rice expands as it cooks.
- In a large pot, arrange the stuffed zucchini. Add water until it almost covers the zucchini, then bring the water to a boil. Cover the pot and let the zucchini cook over medium heat for about 25 minutes. Drain the zucchini, reserving half of the broth in the pan.
- In a large pot, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and cook the garlic over medium heat until it’s golden. Turn off the heat, and let the garlic cool.
- In the same pot, over medium heat add the yogurt, whisking it very well with the garlic. Add the cornstarch and water, and keep whisking the mixture in one direction. This step is critical to prevent the yogurt sauce from curdling and will help the mixture thicken.
- Once the mixture starts boiling, gently add the zucchini, one at a time, then the reserved broth, and mint. Gently stir them in, and let the mixture cook for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and leave it for 15 minutes.
- Serve the zucchini and sauce warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition
Calories: 451kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 27gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 690mgPotassium: 1329mgFiber: 4gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 818IUVitamin C: 68mgCalcium: 235mgIron: 3mg
Have you tried this recipe? Tell us about it!Click here to rate this recipe in the comments section below.